Austin News

As public health officials were urging people not to travel last month because of COVID-19, Austin Mayor Steve Adler was hosting his daughter’s wedding reception and vacationing in Mexico, KVUE reported.

Adler told the station that he did not violate his own orders on COVID-19, or those byTexas Gov. Rick Abbott, and that he took steps to ensure wedding reception guests were safe, including rapid testing for COVID-19.

“We need to stay home if you can. . . . We need to keep the numbers down. Now is not the time to relax,” Adler said in a Facebook message on Nov. 9.

The mayor was in Mexico when the message was recorded, the station reported. He flew there on a private jet from Austin, the story said.

Two days before that, Adler hosted his daughter’s wedding reception, with 20 guests, at the Hotel Saint Cecilia on South Congress Street, said KVUE. At the time of reception, Austin was under Stage 3 guidelines with gatherings of more than 10 people prohibited.

Adler told the station that guests were required to maintain social distancing and that his daughter and the groom handed out masks. Guests were also required to be tested for COVID-19 before attending the event, stated Adler.

The reception guests arrived from around the United States, including the photographer who was from Seattle, the story said.

"It's not perfect,” Adler told the station, “Obviously there are infections that could happen. But what we did was stay compliant with the rules."

He left the next day for Mexico. 

Austin’s top health authority, Dr. Mark Escott, issued the following warning to the public:

“If you are going to go out to a restaurant, go out with your family, the people who live in your household, not the family or friends who don’t live in your household. And start to decrease those travels outside of your home that are not necessary.”  

Alder released a statement on Wednesday. 

"Every day since March, I repeat that being home is the safest place for people to be," said Adler. "Only at our most trying moments, like around Thanksgiving, have I asked people not to travel as part of extra precautions. Several weeks ago, when my daughter cancelled her planned wedding to replace it with a COVID-appropriate, more private ceremony and when my family traveled, we consulted with health authorities and worked hard to model the kind of behavior I’ve asked of the community. We were in a lower risk 'Yellow' level than now.

"It is always safest to stay home," he continued. "However, we aren’t asking people never to venture out. We ask everyone to be as safe as possible in what they do. My family and I are no exception and we’ll continue to do as I ask of our community. During Thanksgiving and as anticipated for Christmas and the New Year, we should all be especially mindful."